A famous young actor in India passed away this week, apparently by his own hand.

Nitin Chauhaan, 35, a former reality TV show winner who launched an entertainment industry career off that victory, reportedly committed suicide on Thursday, PopCulture reported.

The actor, who was reportedly found dead in his Mumbai apartment by his wife and daughter, was said to have been battling depression over a recent downturn in his entertainment career and the failure of a side business he started to make ends meet.

Death by suicide

Masala reported that, according to statements from his wife and a senior police inspector, Chauhaan had been struggling to find steady work as an actor over the past few years and had even started an ice cream business to try and offset the lost income, only to see that side venture fail as well.

Dindoshi police senior inspector Ajay Afle said, "During the preliminary inquiry, we learnt that Nitin Chauhaan was not getting work in the industry for the past few years and was in depression because of this."

Thursday evening, following a walk in a nearby park with their daughter, Chauhaan's wife returned to their Mumbai apartment and found the door to be double-locked. After breaking the door open, she discovered her husband hanging from a ceiling fan, and though she swiftly cut him down and attempted to revive him with CPR as she called for an ambulance, she was unsuccessful and he was declared dead by doctors at the hospital.

The police are reportedly treating the incident as an "accidental death" and are investigating the circumstances of his untimely demise while awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Condolences from former colleagues

India Today reported that Chauhaan first gained fame as the winning contestant on the reality TV show "Dadagiri 2," which he parlayed into acting roles in several other popular Indian TV series over the past decade, the most recent of which aired in 2022.

Several of his former colleagues in the entertainment industry have now confirmed his death by suicide, including Sudeep Sahir, who said in an Instagram post, "Rest in peace, buddy."

Another of his former co-stars, Vibhuti Thakur, shared a photo on social media of herself with Chauhaan and wrote, "Rest in peace, my dear. I'm really shocked and sad. I wish you had the strength to face all the troubles. I wish you were mentally strong like your body."

"I just wish he would have called me once before doing this," friend laments

The Times of India reached out to one of Chauhaan's closest friends, identified as Kuldeep, who said of the actor's death, "We came to know today morning when his father and sister called us revealing that Nitin had passed away and they mentioned that the cause of death was suicide," which left him "shocked" as they had plans to get together next month in Delhi.

The friend noted that Chauhaan's father had come to Mumbai to retrieve his deceased son's remains for a return trip to his family's home and further recalled their future plans and past times together, and said, "He has been our life, we have so many memories with him."

"I just wish he would have called me once before doing this then I would have stopped him," Kuldeep added. "He never mentioned anything, we used to share everything with each other, and there were no financial issues. He used to always tell me to come to Mumbai, we had come there once then he had come here once his niece was born. Now, it’s all memories."

According to PopCulture, Chauhaan is survived by his wife and daughter, his parents, and his sisters. He will also be missed by his former colleagues, friends, and fans.